The killing was the first reported assassination of a senior national official in Iran in years, though there has been a recent wave of attacks on local officials and others.
Safdar Rahmat Abadi was shot in the head and chest as he got into his car at about 7:50 p.m., the news agency reported, citing witnesses. It quoted a police official saying that the shots appeared to come from inside the car, and that spent shell casings were found there. “There was no sign of struggle at the scene of the killing,” the police official was quoted as saying.
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